Thoughts on Today's Scripture Readings

Folks,

Today's Scripture Readings for the Liturgy of the Word during Mass included excerpts from Hebrews 11, the Faith chapter, and Mark 4:35-41, the story of Jesus calming the stormy waters that threatened to flood the boat in which He and the disciples were traveling. Verse 38 in Mark 4 states:

Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

The following thought on this verse was provided by Bible Commentary to which I sometimes refer:

Sometimes Christ seems as if He were asleep, unconcerned in the troubles of His people, and does not presently appear for their relief...His disciples' confidence lay in this, that they had their Master with them. The ship that has Christ in it, though it may be tossed, cannot sink.

Thus do we have all the examples of unwavering, unswerving faith listed in Hebrews 11: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets...who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous, obtained the promises; they closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped the devouring sword; out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders. Women received back their dead through resurrection. Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword's point; they went about in skins of sheep or goats, needy, afflicted, tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in deserts and on mountains, in caves and in crevices in the earth. Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect.

Thus we come to verses one and two in chapter 12 of the Epistle to the Hebrews: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.

Perhaps Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat; but then let us ask ourselves: did we put Him in the stern to sleep, or in the pilot's place to pilot?

The Church today in Europe and North America faces the twin threats of Islamic fascism and atheist humanism while being wracked from within by the infestation of liberal heresy and apostasy. Yet in the 1500s the Church faced the twin threats of the Ottoman Muslim Turks to the east and the Calvinist, Lutheran and Anglican rebellion in the west while being wracked from within by the abuse of Indulgences. Yet the gates of hell did not prevail back then and will not prevail today. "Peace, be still" is what Jesus commanded in Mark 4:39, and that command still applies today.